New 22 rifle, looking for a nice sporterstyle.

[nakneker]

I’m looking for a nice sporter style 22 rifle, something accurate, a classic blue and wood combo, upper level 22. It doesn’t matter if it’s a current build, I’d almost prefer that because I typically buy vintage rimfire rifles much more than I buy new ones. I’ve seen the Anschutz 1712 mentioned along these lines and I like the euro style stock I see on them, link below. I like a lot of the Kimbers that I guy can still find albeit most are used if not all. Those are those are types of rifle I’m interested in, just want one to use for awhile and go from there. Thought I’d ask here too, I typically don’t buy this class of rimfire and would consider myself somewhat naive …. I’ll list the rifles I’ve had/have, not looking to duplicate any of those… Just wondering what I’m missing. I’m in no hurry, nice wood is a must, doesn’t have to be exhibition just can’t be plain Jane.

Rifles I’ve had; Winchester 52s, Winchester 75s, Kidd 10/22s, T-bolts, Kimber 82 heavy barrel or SVT, CZs, not interested in Voduus, 40x original or tricked out, Sakos, lever actions & pumps (looking for a bolt)

The style of rifle I’m after; a of couple examples

Anschutz 1712 wood/blue

GunBroker.com - Error

Kimber

GunBroker.com - Error

remjngton 541-S

GunBroker.com - Error

 

[3Ackleys]

I have a couple annies and this one will be my next one. Its got the straight pull Fortner action.

Anschutz 1727F HB G-28 .22 LR Walnut German Match 54 18" Bbl Rifle w/5020 2-Stage Trigger A015664

Anschutz 1727F HB G-28 .22 LR Walnut German Match 54 18" Bbl Rifle w/5020 2-Stage Trigger A015664 | Only at EuroOptic.com!

www.eurooptic.com

 

[JSH]

I have a Bergara that I have really toyed with the idea of making into a sporter. 700 foot print, if I could locate a flush fitting magazine I may get stupid, lol.

 

[JimSC]

for the Euro look then a 457 Scout, Lux, Jaguar, or Premium depending on the trim level you want. CZ American if you want a straight comb

 

[nakneker]

for the Euro look then a 457 Scout, Lux, Jaguar, or Premium depending on the trim level you want. CZ American if you want a straight comb

I have a 22 lux, Premium, and MTR, all good suggestions, wanting something a bit more refined this time.

 

[nakneker]

I have a couple annies and this one will be my next one. Its got the straight pull Fortner action.

Anschutz 1727F HB G-28 .22 LR Walnut German Match 54 18" Bbl Rifle w/5020 2-Stage Trigger A015664

Anschutz 1727F HB G-28 .22 LR Walnut German Match 54 18" Bbl Rifle w/5020 2-Stage Trigger A015664 | Only at EuroOptic.com!

www.eurooptic.com

Didn’t know about the straight pull Fortner, that’s neat! More than I wanted to spend, do you watch these rifles, do they ever go on sale?

 

[JSH]

Didn’t know about the straight pull Fortner, that’s neat! More than I wanted to spend, do you watch these rifles, do they ever go on sale?

I am a sucker for straight pull or toggle link rifles. I bought one of the Styer .22’s I was warned after I hit the go button. I tried like heck to get it to shoot, no luck and it moved along.
Maybe some one will make a K31 conversion, I have a candidate.

 

[Knotwild]

Buy a Tikka and switch it into a wood stock.

 

[nakneker]

Buy a Tikka and switch it into a wood stock.

I have a T1 I shoot surpressed, sits by the door for squirrels. Gotta leave just like it is, shoots good.

 

[nettle]

My Kimber Clackamas Model 82. It is a tack driver. I bought it the same year Ruger introduced the M77/22. That was a long time ago.

 

[JimSC]

I have a 22 lux, Premium, and MTR, all good suggestions, wanting something a bit more refined this time.

well in my opinion that pretty much narrows it down to a Cooper or a Kimber, Neither has the Euro look but without a doubt, they are the classiest .22's on the market. Not slamming Annies but the Kimbers and the Coopers are a step above. I can't own one, they are too pretty and I would be scared to death to take it to the range because I know I would scratch it first time out.

 

[nakneker]

well in my opinion that pretty much narrows it down to a Cooper or a Kimber, Neither has the Euro look but without a doubt, they are the classiest .22's on the market. Not slamming Annies but the Kimbers and the Coopers are a step above. I can't own one, they are too pretty and I would be scared to death to take it to the range because I know I would scratch it first time out.

I haven’t thought about Cooper, glad you brought it up!

 

[nakneker]

My Kimber Clackamas Model 82. It is a tack driver. I bought it the same year Ruger introduced the M77/22. That was a long time ago.

That’s a beautiful rifle, how does it shoot?

 

[flatlander]

I sorta went off the deep end late last winter - wound up buying a Browning-marked 52C repro, a Kimber 82B Super America, and a Cooper 36 Custom Classic.

The 52C repro appeared - as advertised - ANIB, without a mark or scratch on it anywhere that I could find. However the bore was so full of lead fouling that my 20 cal SS rod rubbed on fouling when I first tried it in the bore without a patch. It took the better part of 2hrs with lead solvent and a bronze brush to get it all out - confirmed by my Hawkeye borescope. I took it out to zero a scope on it at 50yds, and put a counted 65rds of a known good lot of SK Std+ through it, all without a single decent 5rd group. Got it back to the shop only to find the bore full of leading again - that was strike 3, and I pulled that OEM bbl and sent it to Krieger to have them duplicate it on a straight cylinder bbl they happened to have in stock. Problem solved.

The Kimber has beautiful wood, and had only one tiny spot on the bbl where the blue had worn through, but it didn't feed worth a hoot until after I'd thoroughly cleaned the magazine well, and stripped the magazine and cleaned it. And even after that, it didn't shoot good enough to impress me at all. The stock has warped just enough over the years (it was made in 1986) to touch one side of the bbl, and I haven't gotten around to sanding the channel to fully float it yet.

The Cooper is at least as pretty to look at as the Kimber, but the magazine won't come close to feeding the first couple of rounds, and it shoots worse groups than the Kimber. It's stock is also slightly warped, and needs sand paper inlet to get it to float.

After buying these three really attractive, high quality sporters, and being pretty disappointed with all three, I decided to say to heck with buying used, and intended to call Anschutz North America to establish my dealer credentials and then order a nicely stocked 1712 or 1710. Later that same day, a very nice looking 1712 appeared in the classifieds on RFC, and after calling the seller and spending a pleasant 40-45min on the phone with him, I made an offer which he accepted. This rifle pretty well lives up to the Anschutz reputation for accuracy, after I checked the action screws and found them pretty loose. Snugging those screws down helped to eliminate the failure to eject issues I was having with it, and backing off the sear engagement very slightly got the trigger break down to just a hair under 1lb, If I'd have bought this rifle before buying the other three I described, I'd have probably never spent all the $$$ the Browning, Cooper, and Kimber cost me, and possibly looked into a Fortner straight pull Anschutz instead. I wouldn't classify the stock of my 1712 as 'fancy' wood, but it's sure pretty enough to suit my tastes...

 

[JimSC]

This rifle pretty well lives up to the Anschutz reputation for accuracy

I 'm a big fan of function over form, so for me that is what matters. First time I got married was for looks, 3 years late we were divorced. Second time was for brains. She's still prettier than I deserve but her intelligence was what initially attracted me. We are still married 36 years later

 

[3Ackleys]

Didn’t know about the straight pull Fortner, that’s neat! More than I wanted to spend, do you watch these rifles, do they ever go on sale?

I haven't seen them on sale. But the ones I have ordered from Europtic, I called them and they will sell them for less. Seems like 10% or so off.

 

[nettle]

That’s a beautiful rifle, how does it shoot?

At 50 yards I can put ten shots inside a dime using a bench rest and the right 22 ammo. I actually went to a gun show looking for the newly released Ruger Model 77/22. When I finally did find a new 77/22 for sale this Kimber 82 was on dealer's a table next to it for for $60.00 more. Right place at the right time.

 

[nakneker]

I sorta went off the deep end late last winter - wound up buying a Browning-marked 52C repro, a Kimber 82B Super America, and a Cooper 36 Custom Classic.

The 52C repro appeared - as advertised - ANIB, without a mark or scratch on it anywhere that I could find. However the bore was so full of lead fouling that my 20 cal SS rod rubbed on fouling when I first tried it in the bore without a patch. It took the better part of 2hrs with lead solvent and a bronze brush to get it all out - confirmed by my Hawkeye borescope. I took it out to zero a scope on it at 50yds, and put a counted 65rds of a known good lot of SK Std+ through it, all without a single decent 5rd group. Got it back to the shop only to find the bore full of leading again - that was strike 3, and I pulled that OEM bbl and sent it to Krieger to have them duplicate it on a straight cylinder bbl they happened to have in stock. Problem solved.

The Kimber has beautiful wood, and had only one tiny spot on the bbl where the blue had worn through, but it didn't feed worth a hoot until after I'd thoroughly cleaned the magazine well, and stripped the magazine and cleaned it. And even after that, it didn't shoot good enough to impress me at all. The stock has warped just enough over the years (it was made in 1986) to touch one side of the bbl, and I haven't gotten around to sanding the channel to fully float it yet.

The Cooper is at least as pretty to look at as the Kimber, but the magazine won't come close to feeding the first couple of rounds, and it shoots worse groups than the Kimber. It's stock is also slightly warped, and needs sand paper inlet to get it to float.

After buying these three really attractive, high quality sporters, and being pretty disappointed with all three, I decided to say to heck with buying used, and intended to call Anschutz North America to establish my dealer credentials and then order a nicely stocked 1712 or 1710. Later that same day, a very nice looking 1712 appeared in the classifieds on RFC, and after calling the seller and spending a pleasant 40-45min on the phone with him, I made an offer which he accepted. This rifle pretty well lives up to the Anschutz reputation for accuracy, after I checked the action screws and found them pretty loose. Snugging those screws down helped to eliminate the failure to eject issues I was having with it, and backing off the sear engagement very slightly got the trigger break down to just a hair under 1lb, If I'd have bought this rifle before buying the other three I described, I'd have probably never spent all the $$$ the Browning, Cooper, and Kimber cost me, and possibly looked into a Fortner straight pull Anschutz instead. I wouldn't classify the stock of my 1712 as 'fancy' wood, but it's sure pretty enough to suit my tastes...

Exactly what I’m trying to avoid. The prettiest rifle holds no attraction if it won’t shoot or can’t be made to shoot. It makes the used game dicey. Good info on the anschutz too. Ty.

 

[jepp2]

I owned a couple of the Cooper 57 M in 17 HMR. Nothing against Coopers, but in my opinion they weren't in the same class as the Anschutz 54 Sporter I sold a few years ago. The match 54 action and the workmanship and wood quality was just something to behold. You can still find nice ones out there.

Not mine, but gives you an idea of what they are.

 

[nettle]

While looking for the Ruger M77/22 and before purchasing the Kimber 82 I looked at some Cooper's. The Cooper's were incredibly nice looking guns but the Cooper's, at that time, were almost triple the cost of the Ruger or Kimber. A bit too pricey for me. Anschutz 54 rifles are top notch. I have read enough about bolt action 22's to appreciate the quality of an Anshutz 54. Had there been an Anschutz 54 on the table next to the Ruger 77/22 and Kimber Model 82 who knows? Maybe I would own an Anschutz today. The Kimber 82 has done, and still does, everything I had ever hoped for. It was a wise purchase for me.